Procurement Specialist (Purchaser / Buyer)

Why work for GÉANT?

We offer a blazing-fast, cutting-edge network that connects scientists, researchers and academics across Europe and the world.

Thanks to our terabit network, 50 million researchers, scientists, academics and students can share record volumes of data unconstrained by location, solving some of mankind’s biggest challenges.

Work at GÉANT and you’ll be supporting critical research into sustainable energy, deep space, high-energy physics, earth observation, environmental disasters, medicine and more!

Position Purpose

Working as part of a team of procurement professionals the successful candidate will be responsible for a broad range of spend categories, generally at below OJEU threshold values. Ensuring colleagues in Cambridge and Amsterdam comply with internal procurement regulations, either by directly undertaking procurements or providing support to colleagues undertaking simple procurements, the candidate will review all purchase orders with the support of the Procurement Contracts Administrator.

Spend analysis may identify opportunities for the Purchasing Manager to pro-actively implement procurement strategies for goods and services used in support of GÉANT’s activities.

From corporate insurance, business travel, contingent resource to IT equipment, the Purchasing Manager should be familiar with EC Directive 2014/24 and be able to identify optimum procurement solutions.

This opportunity has arisen from an increasing demand for procurement activity within GÉANT and a need to free up capacity for existing procurement team members to focus on the current work programme of network refresh and pan-European aggregated cloud solution frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Review of all purchase orders to ensure conformance to internal procurement regulations
• Conduct procurement activities, expected to be sub OJEU threshold in the main, or exploiting frameworks where available, although some OJEU tenders may be required
• Line management of Procurement Contracts Administrator
• Contribute to evolution of procurement policies, toolkits and templates
• Provide procurement training and guidance to GÉANT staff
• To evaluate and approach procurement tasks from a client perspective as well as a procurement perspective
• Regular spend analysis and development/delivery of procurement initiatives to address opportunities arriving from this

In addition, you will carry out such other duties as may reasonably be required.
You may occasionally be required to travel in this role.

Person Specification

What qualifications, experience and knowledge are required?

Essential:

• Extensive experience in carrying out procurement within an organisation who was subject to a Member State implementation of EC Directive 2014/24
• Broad range of category experience
• IT skills (Microsoft Office/e-purchasing/ERP systems)
• English language (CEF, B2 level or above)

What personal skills and attributes are needed for success in this role?

• Ability to deal with ambiguity and change in an effective manner
• Enjoys overcoming challenges and finding solutions
• A mindset of continuous learning and growth
• Passionate, open and collaborative approach toward work
• Excellent communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Commercially aware
• Self-managing